Chamber introduces business incentives

CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE May 13, 2020
The Pontiac Chamber of Commerce is promoting a variety of initiatives to promote the local businesses that make up their membership during the coronavirus shutdown.
President Todd Hoffman explained that the organization has already put several strategies into place to encourage local residents and business owners to buy local.
The chamber already announced earlier in the year that they would be waiving the registration fee for 2020, including both returning members and new sign ups.
“We always had in our budget a little surplus, it was always money in the bank, so that’s why we decided to waive the fees this year,” Hoffman explained. “We’re basically going to be earmarking that money for our buy local [initiative] … For new members we’re waiving the membership fee for the year. Our members that have been with us for years, we’re waiving it this year for them. There’s a lot of them that are under stress.”
In addition, the chamber is also expanding their business to business incentive program, which gives discounts for participating chamber members who do business with each other. Hoffman said that now employees of participating members would be able to get in on the savings. While previously it had only been the business owners, who held the chamber’s membership card, who were able to benefit from the business to business discount, the new rules allow for employees to also take advantage of the incentives for shopping local.
Hoffman said that the chamber was also in talks with the local SADC and Pontiac MRC to work out future collaborations, but said that the work is still under wraps for now.
Hoffman, who also owns a brewery in Campbell’s Bay, said that the pandemic has affected members of the chamber in drastically different ways, depending on what sector they’re in. He said that the hospitality and tourism businesses like his own could see a huge drop in business if seasonal residents aren’t allowed to visit the region.
“Right now it hasn’t been felt too bad, but we depend a lot on these people coming up in the summer,’ he said. “The population of the MRC just about doubles. [So] it’s going to be felt. That’s why we have to encourage the local permanent population, once the bridges are starting to open up, to stay here as much as possible to shop. The services and goods that they’ve been getting here so far … they’ve been served quite well.”
Hoffman said that with more people staying home, he has seen a boost in sales throughout his distribution network of 15 dépanneurs and 3 grocery stores, which he called “troubling, in a way” but added that breweries with different business models might not be in the same boat.
“As far as sales wise, we’re ok,” he said. “Most breweries are the same … There are breweries that are hurting pretty bad. Last year in the summer, half of our business was from cottagers and tourists … I think that’s where we’re going to see a hit being taken, in the summer.”
Despite the temporary uptick in business, Hoffman said that he has heard about supply chain disruptions among his peers and has even experienced a shortage of brewer’s yeast, which forced him to get creative.
“I use basic ingredients here, which is buying malt, hops and yeast and I’m having problems getting yeast now,” he explained, noting that yeast can be reused up to eight or nine times before being discarded. “The strains of yeast I use come from Europe, you know a lot of Europe is shut down even tighter than here. There’s a shortage of brewer’s yeast now, so what I have to do is regenerate yeast … I’m still producing beer, but I have to regenerate my yeast.”
He said that the process takes some additional time, but doesn’t affect the quality of the beer. In fact, it might just improve the taste, but only to a small group of discerning experts.
“I’ve been regenerating yeast for about three or four cycles now, so I’m still good for a while,” he said.
“It still keeps the same flavour profile. Sometimes it’s even beneficial , it picks up it’s own in-house flavour a bit, the average person wouldn’t notice.”